Michael Jace Movies

A thief and a lawman join forces to hunt down a common enemy in this action thriller. Tony Fait (DMX) is a master thief who, along with his crew (Gabrielle Union, Anthony Anderson, and Drag-On), pulls off a major score when they steal a cache of highly valuable black diamonds. However, the hard-as-nails Tony has a soft spot for his young daughter Vanessa (Paige Hurd), and Ling (Mark Dacascos), a former detective turned ruthless criminal, kidnaps Vanessa, demanding a ransom from Tony for her return -- the stash of black diamonds. The jewels have already been stolen, however, from Tony's fence Archie (Tom Arnold), and are now in the hands of a powerful underworld boss (Chi McBride). Determined to get back his daughter whatever the cost, Tony and his gang set out to find both Ling and the diamonds, but he soon gets some invaluable help from an unlikely corner -- Su (Jet Li), a government agent from Taiwan who was once Ling's partner, and has an old score to settle with him. Cradle 2 the Grave also features Kelly Hu and Roxana Brusso. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Paul McCrane makes his first appearance as the redoubtable Dr. Robert Romano, who in this episode has just returned from a European vacation, his head full of new information about robotics. Elsewhere, Carol (Julianna Margulies) wants to start up a free clinic in the ER. Del Amico (Maria Bello) is in for a surprise when she examines a male patient. After the deposition with the Law family, Greene (Anthony Edwards) demands to know if Chris Law (Joe Torry) had anything to do with beating him up. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) and Al (Michael Beach) "mix it up" in a bar. And John Carter (Noah Wyle) wonders if he should have stayed in surgery after another doctor steals credit for one of Carter's ER procedures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A prominent African-American political leader is assassinated at a Harlem rally. Witnesses to the killing point their fingers at Mitchell Kobin (Jeff Gendelman), a white teacher. Contrary to first impressions, Kobin may not have been motivated by racism; the dead man was allegedly having an affair with the teacher's wife. This episode of Law & Order was the winner of the Edgar Allan Poe award, an honor bestowed by the Mystery Writers of America. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Baldwin Jones (Henry Simmons) gets into a racial confrontation with new ADA Valerie Haywood (Garcelle Beauvais-Nillon) over a case involving a dead Russian, his bigoted wife, and a black gardener. Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) calls in his old friend, Chinatown detective Harold Ng (Tzi Ma), to make sense of a heated dispute between two Chinese street-gang leaders -- a move that leads to a kidnapping investigation and a stakeout at a restaurant. Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) knows she loves Danny (Rick Schroder), but she can't get the late Bobby Simone out of her mind. And Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) bristles at the notion of taking computer training. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Last King of Scotland director Kevin McDonald teams with screenwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan for this American adaptation of the hit British miniseries concerning the suspicious circumstances that set a rising congressman and a dogged reporter on a dangerous collision course. U.S. congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is handsome, unflappable, and ascending the ladder of power with unprecedented speed. He's the future of his political party, and as the chairman of a committee assigned to oversee defense spending, he's got all the right connections. As the presidential race draws near, Washington insiders begin to speculate that Collins will earn his party's nomination for the country's top job. The prospect of Collins becoming president seems less and less likely, however, when his research assistant/mistress is viciously murdered, and some unsavory truths begin to surface. Collins was once a close friend to Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), now a top reporter in the nation's capital. Assigned the task of investigating Collins by his ruthless editor, Cameron (Oscar winner Helen Mirren), McAffrey recruits fellow reporter Della (Rachel McAdams) in order to track down the truth and identify the killer. But McAffrey has just walked into a cover-up of unprecedented proportions, and in a game where billions of dollars are at stake, life, love, and integrity are luxuries that simply cannot be afforded. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Boxing is more than just a sport -- it's also a business and a con game in this satirical comedy. Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) is a shrewd boxing promoter and manager whose meal ticket is heavyweight champion James "The Grim Reaper" Roper (Damon Wayans), a fighter whose skill and confidence significantly outstrips his intelligence. While the top-ranked contender for Roper's title is Marvin Shabazz (Michael Jace), Sultan isn't too keen on the idea of Shabazz fighting Roper -- it seems that both fighters are black, and Sultan's figures show that mixed race matches stir up a lot more media attention and pay-per-view customers. Eager to find a white challenger for Roper, Sultan digs up Terry Conklin (Peter Berg), who won a Golden Gloves fight against Roper many years ago but is now out of the game and fronting a rock band called Massive Head Wound. Thanks to a few bribes and a couple of fixed fights, Sultan is able to arrange for Conklin to be next in line to battle "The Grim Reaper." However, Conklin is taking his renewed career as a boxer quite seriously, while Roper, convinced that Conklin doesn't stand a chance, has let himself go and gained a lot of weight. Suddenly Sultan realizes that Roper might just lose the piece-of-cake fight he's so carefully arranged, while journalist Mitchell Kane (Jeff Goldblum) smells a rat in Conklin's sudden rise to ranking status. Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, and Corbin Bernsen highlight the supporting cast, while members of the well-regarded alternative rock band Local H appear as Massive Head Wound. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Army (Michael Pena) and Shane (Walton Goggins) are practicing to beat the lie-detector test that Monica (Glenn Close) is making them take, but Army is very nervous about it. At a meeting with community leaders, Assistant Chief Phillips (Nigel Gibbs) lets Monica know that the seizure policy is being reevaluated. She goes to Aceveda (Benito Martinez), blaming him. Aceveda offers to help her if she'll agree to a few modifications, but she refuses, telling Phillips that she'll quit if the program is stopped. Antwon's arrest has created a power vacuum among the One-Niners, and Vic (Michael Chiklis) uses that to his advantage, playing Halpern (Laurence Mason) and Weed (Petey Pablo) against each other to get information about the cop killings. This leads him to a pair of Nigerian suspects, and, surprisingly, to a Russian mobster with no clear ties to Antwon. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigate a drive-by shooting at a local car wash, and find out that Billings (David Marciano) witnessed the crime, but did nothing to stop it, and reported it anonymously. Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) tells Vic that she's been dating Dutch, and is surprised to learn that the two cops have an antagonistic relationship. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Vic (Michael Chiklis) persuades an increasingly disgruntled Lem (Kenny Johnson) to help him convince Tavon (Brian J. White) that he hit Mara (Michele Hicks) during his fight with Shane (Walton Goggins), so that he'll agree to help them cover up the whole incident. The murder of a public defender opens up a case that could cause tremendous problems for the department, but Claudette (CCH Pounder) insists on following through, regardless of the consequences to her career. Mara (Michele Hicks) asks Shane to request a transfer, because she doesn't want Vic to be a part of their lives. The treasury department uncovers their mole, who reveals that the Armenians most recently asked for information about Vic, Lem, Shane, and Ronnie (David Rees Snell). With the Armenians hunting them, and his team unraveling, Vic decides to take the fight to them. A look into the Armenians' illegal gas business leads to a heroin operation that eventually leads them into deadly proximity with their old nemesis, Margos (Kurt Sutter, uncredited). Meanwhile, increased scrutiny on money laundering makes it impossible for the team to clean their stolen loot, and Lem grows increasingly worried about the Strike Team going down. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Monica (Glenn Close) takes command of The Barn, and tells the troops that they will be implementing an asset-seizure program. She puts Vic (Michael Chiklis) in charge of all gang-related felonies. Units working under Vic are assigned to take Polaroids of all gang members, and their ink, in order to build a database. Vic now knows that Shane (Walton Goggins) and his partner, Army (Michael Pena), are working with Antwon (Anthony Anderson), and he lets Lem (Kenny Johnson) and Ronnie (David Rees Snell) know. Vic says they should keep Shane close and keep IAD off him, or it will come back to them. There's a gang war erupting in Farmington, and Monica wants it headed off quickly. Vic reluctantly goes to Antwon for help in stopping the violence between the One-Niners and the Spookstreet Soldiers. Choppa (Six Reasons), a drive-by suspect from the Soldiers, is brought in for questioning. He doesn't want to talk, so Monica threatens to seize his mother's house, which he paid for with drug money. She feels conflicted about throwing the family out on the street. When Choppa turns out to have made a pornographic rap video with Bounce (Tanya Alexander), the girlfriend of Puppethead (Kamil Beale), a member of the One-Niners, Vic thinks he's found what initiated the escalating gang violence, and reluctantly turns to Antwon for help in stopping it. Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) are still being blackballed by the DA, so they're assigned to catch a convenience store robber who buys a hot cup of coffee then throws it in the clerk's face. Dutch pressures Claudette to apologize to the DA. She refuses, and his frustration grows. He finally decides to go behind her back to make a deal. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

After seeing the auditor's report on the Barn, Chief Bankston (Ron Canada) tells Aceveda (Benito Martinez) he wants the unit cut by 20 percent, and he wants Aceveda to give him a list of names by the end of the day, so Aceveda is forced to neglect his city council campaign with the primary looming. Julien (Michael Jace) unwisely takes his "sexual reorientation" sponsor to see Tomas (Brent Roam), which results in an assault, Tomas' arrest, and his outing of Julien in front of some unsympathetic uniforms. Danny (Catherine Dent) tries to defend Julien, but the homophobic cops start to harass him. Mackey (Michael Chiklis) is getting skittish about the money train because the Armenians are changing their routine. Mackey pays a visit to Corrine (Cathy Cahlin Ryan) that ends badly when he learns she's changed the locks on the house. He and Shane (Walton Goggins) help Dutch (Jay Karnes) and Claudette (CCH Pounder) investigate the disappearance of a teenage boy, which Dutch links to the kidnappings, rapes, and murders of two other local teens. Mackey works closely with the boy's father (Roy Fegan), who turns out to know much less about his son's life than he thinks he does. Claudette gets into another fracas with Mackey as she ponders Bankston's offer to let her run the Barn after Aceveda resigns. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Aceveda (Benito Martinez) gives Mackey (Michael Chiklis) a medal after the Fleetwood Walker bust. It turns out it was Lanie's (Lucinda Jenney) idea. The cops at "The Barn" also add a new twist to their annual "Toys for Guns" drive -- a raffle, which also gets them the address of everyone who turns in a gun, so they can trace back the guns that have been used to commit crimes. One is linked to an old unsolved murder case of Claudette's (CCH Pounder), and the trail eventually leads to Manny Sandoval (Jonathan Neil Schneider), a lowlife loan shark Claudette's been after for years. But Dutch (Jay Karnes) is having doubts about his own investigative instincts. Someone steals a bunch of diamonds using Shane's (Walton Goggins) badge, which was stolen in Tijuana. Mackey finds out they belonged to the Armenian mob, and convinces Aceveda to let him and Shane "pretend" to be corrupt cops and run a sting operation. But Aceveda wants Shane transferred off the Strike Team to make room for a minority applicant, in order to help the team's public image. Mackey and Shane find out that the "money train" of urban legend, through which the Armenian mob launders all the money they make in the western United States, actually exists, and Mackey decides to start planning the Strike Team's robbery. The Arab woman, Yahssira Al-Thani (Veena Bidasha), whose husband Danny (Catherine Dent) shot, claims that she has another witness to Danny's alleged racial insensitivity, but Aceveda continues to support Danny. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

This episode takes us back 14 months, to the origin of the Strike Team. A less hardened Mackey (Michael Chiklis) convinces Gilroy (John Diehl) to let him handpick and run the team, which will be based in a new satellite precinct, the Barn. Aceveda (Benito Martinez) gives them their first case, a drive-by shooting of two prostitutes. Mackey's informant, Connie (Jamie Brown) tells him it was a pimp/drug dealer named Lionel Phipps (Dayo Ade). The Strike Team butts heads with Aceveda, who likes to do things by the book, but demands immediate results. Mackey finds himself forced to cut corners, using Connie and a dealer who works for Phipps, Rondell Robinson (Walter Emanuel Jones), to plant evidence and bust Phipps. Danny (Catherine Dent) and her new rookie partner, Julien (Michael Jace), find a bloody, naked woman who has been kidnapped and raped. Claudette (CCH Pounder), Dutch (Jay Karnes), and an old vet, Tom Gannon (Ray Baker), take on the case, which leads them to a kidnapping ring that targets illegal immigrants and to a "ransom broker," Latigo (Richard Yniguez), who claims to be helping the families in exchange for a cut of the ransom. Dutch has never heard of Claudette, but he's in awe of Gannon, who once solved a major murder case. Gannon gossips about Dutch behind his back and plays pranks on him. Dutch soon discovers he works well with Claudette anyway. Aceveda seems eager to replace Mackey, and convinces Gilroy to let him pick his own man for the Strike Team, the ill-fated Terry Crowley (Reed Diamond). This episode was helmed by actor/director Peter Horton. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi